Manchester United was regressing under Erik Ten Hag. The club needed a fresh start. The new dawn fell on Ruben Amorim, the man who had turned Sporting Clube de Portugal into a winning machine. The Portuguese manager is now four games into his career at Old Trafford. Will he improve the club’s chances of winning silverware? We took a look at some of the more popular online soccer betting sites in the USA to see if the odds had really improved.
Tetchy Start at Portman Road
Ruben Amorim’s first match at the helm of Manchester United was against Ipswich Town at Portman Road in the Premier League. Despite a great start to his tenure as Marcus Rashford took the lead after two minutes, the game ended 1-1. Manchester United held most of the possession but did very little with it, having fewer shots on target than Ipswich. The team didn’t pressure the Tractor Boys; they struggled to get play forward.
Was this Amorim’s fault? Well, it was his first game in charge, but there are few excuses for glossing over this stalemate and, especially considering that Amorim was given the job for his expansive attacking outset, which saw the team dominate Liga Portugal.
Wins Against Bodo/Glimt and Everton
Despite not winning his first match as Manchester United boss, Amorim didn’t have to wait long to taste victory. Four days after that stalemate in East Anglia, this new-look Manchester United were successful in the UEFA Europa League against Bodo/Glimt, despite being 2-1 at one juncture. This was the exciting performance that the fans and board anticipated from Amorim’s team, as they held 73% of the ball possession and took shots at their discretion.
After that midweek European game, Manchester United hosted Everton at Old Trafford in the Premier League. This result was empathetic for the Red Devils, as they won 4-0, with goals from Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee.
Defeat in North London
Arsenal versus Manchester United will always be a heated fixture; the two teams defined success in the early 2000s until the former ran away with trophies and Arsenal dropped off. Yet, out of the two clubs, Arsenal is currently in the ascendancy as they’ve been challenging for the Premier League title in recent years.
The game between these two in early December went according to that script, as Arsenal won 2-0 with two halftime goals. The game was closely contested in terms of ball possession, but Arsenal looked the most likely to score from the first whistle. Ultimately, Amorim was brought into Manchester United to bring his Sporting CP style, success, and challenge at the highest level. They’ve been unable to do that when presented with another elite-level club. To date, Amorim hasn’t won a game contested outside of Old Trafford.
Can Amorim Still Win a Trophy with Manchester United?
Yes! Despite the team struggling in the Premier League standings, they still have decent opportunities to win silverware. Firstly, Ten Hag managed to get the team to the quarter-final of the EFL Cup. In mid-December, Amorim picks up the mantle in this round as his team plays Tottenham Hotspur in North London. Can he win this away tie and take Manchester United to the semi-final?
Manchester United enters the FA Cup in the third round in mid-January, where they will again go to North London to take on Arsenal. Could Manchester United come out on top with fixture congestion and squad rotation for both teams?
Or if Amorim would instead concentrate on European competition, they would still be in the UEFA Europa League. Under the competition’s new format, 24 of the 36 teams in the league qualify for the next phase (1-8 get a bye to the next section, while 9-24 go into a playoff). Manchester United is currently in 12th place. With three very winnable games left in their schedule, it would not be easy to see them not qualify for the next phase. After which, depending on their opponents, they could go on to continental glory.
How About the Odds for a Manchester United Trophy?
Suppose you’re interested in backing Manchester United in winning any of these competitions. Bet365 is one of the most recognized bookmakers and offers decent value on wagering on a Manchester United victory. Punters can get 6/1 on a successful wager on the Red Devils winning the EFL Cup. At the same time, those odds go up 14/1 if they successfully wagered on them lifting the FA Cup. Or betting on the Reds to win the UEFA Europa League offers decent value at 11/2.
